Orochimaru's Crushing Defeat

Shisui asked Itachi to make time to teach Naruto ninjutsu.

Itachi agreed and told Naruto where and when they would train.

Naruto stopped bothering Shisui and Itachi and went home alone.

"The Uchiha Clan really is blessed with every advantage," Naruto remarked as he walked.

A few days later.

The sky was gray and gloomy, and a light rain was falling.

Wearing a black raincoat, Naruto arrived at the large lake beside the Uchiha residential district. He saw Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke there.

Sasuke stood with his legs apart, focused as he quickly formed Hand Seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Whoosh!

Sasuke parted his small lips and breathed out a burst of flame, but the drizzle quickly put it out.

"Brother, what am I doing wrong?" Sasuke asked sadly, seeking Itachi's help.

Itachi offered some pointers. "Your chakra isn't gathering efficiently, and it's too slow. Your Hand Seal sequence is correct, so stop forming seals for now. First, practice quickly gathering chakra in your throat. You still need to improve your control."

After listening, Sasuke resolved that he would perform a perfect Great Fireball Technique at least once today.

"Hey, Itachi, I'm here." Naruto hopped over.

Sasuke quickly moved farther away.

Itachi noticed Sasuke's little move and smiled knowingly. "Naruto, Guy said you're a wonderful student. He's back in the village, too. Why isn't he training you?"

Naruto stuck his hand out from under his raincoat and felt the rain. "Teacher Guy took Lee away for some special training. I'm sure he has his reasons! You're not going to use that as an excuse not to teach me, are you, Itachi?"

Uchiha Itachi had promised Shisui he would teach Naruto properly. He couldn't go back on his word. "Naruto, what do you want to learn first?"

"Itachi, could you check what's wrong with my Clone Technique?"

The Sharingan could see the flow of chakra through the body.

Itachi asked Naruto to perform the Clone Technique.

"Clone!" Naruto shouted, but nothing happened.

After observing the entire process, Itachi thought it over for a while. "There's nothing wrong with it. The chakra's flowing properly, too. This is strange! Could it be something about your constitution, Naruto?"

Itachi's suggestion made Naruto suddenly think of a possibility.

"I'll try something else." Naruto thought for a moment, then quickly formed Hand Seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Naruto's chakra reserves grew by the minute.

Naruto parted his lips and blew forward. A massive fireball surged into the lake, sending waves of heat across the water. With a boom, it roasted dozens of fish.

"I knew it." Naruto took a deep breath. He had already figured out what was causing his problem.

But the Great Fireball Technique Naruto had just unleashed left Itachi stunned.

Itachi regarded Naruto with admiration. At such a young age, Naruto already had chakra reserves comparable to a Kage's, and he had also mastered the nature transformation of Fire Release.

Perhaps in a few years, Naruto would surpass the Kage.

That was what Itachi thought.

Naruto's display also spurred Sasuke on after all his hard work. The Great Fireball Technique was a basic Uchiha jutsu that anyone could learn, but the time it took to master it varied.

Itachi, for example, had learned it in just a few seconds.

Sasuke had already been at it for two hours.

"Naruto, did Shisui teach you that?" Itachi asked.

Naruto replied, "Yes, and he taught me Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, too. I've already learned them both. What are you going to teach me, Itachi?"

Itachi considered it. "Naruto, do you want to learn Taijutsu? I know some Shurikenjutsu. The Hand Seal sequences for the other Fire Release techniques are similar; they all end with the Tiger seal. I'll demonstrate the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, which I also know."

Itachi broke the Hand Seals down step by step and taught them to Naruto.

Naruto memorized them. "I want to learn Shurikenjutsu."

Nearby, Sasuke was getting anxious and performed the Great Fireball Technique too slowly. Fortunately, Itachi was there to intervene in time, and Sasuke only burned his hand.

"Sasuke, don't rush." Itachi's tone carried a hint of reproach. "You only make real progress when you master each step."

Naruto took off his raincoat and set it on the ground. "Sasuke, I think you'll get it if you try three more times."

Enduring the pain, Sasuke calmed down and continued training.

Itachi began teaching Naruto how to use shuriken efficiently and how to combine them with Fire Release, among other things.

Itachi's lessons started with the fundamentals, helping Naruto understand chakra's shape transformation, nature transformation, and Kekkei Genkai.

"That's amazing! Combining different nature transformations can create unique elements. Itachi, you're an incredible teacher." Naruto gave him a big thumbs-up.

Boom!

The fish in the lake suffered again. Sasuke had learned the Great Fireball Technique, and his confidence returned.

"I already knew all that," Sasuke said smugly to Naruto.

Suddenly, the rain came pouring down.

Itachi grabbed Naruto and Sasuke and used the Body Flicker Technique to take them to a lakeside pavilion for shelter.

Raindrops the size of peas splashed across the surface of the lake.

Sasuke suddenly went pale and stood motionless.

Naruto saw a white-faced man with a smile on his face walking across the lake.

"An enemy?" Naruto grew wary.

Uchiha Itachi lightly struck Sasuke, freeing him from the genjutsu.

Sasuke clutched his chest and gasped for breath. He had just felt as if someone had stabbed him through the chest and killed him.

Uchiha Itachi activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. "Could that be Orochimaru, one of the Sannin?"

"Uchiha Itachi, I've come to choose my next vessel. As things stand, I'm quite pleased with you and the blond boy beside you," Orochimaru said enticingly. "Would you like eternal life? I can make it happen."

Naruto didn't know Orochimaru or the Sannin. He just thought that Minato Namikaze's constant boasts about Konoha's comprehensive security were starting to sound like a joke.

Anyone could come and go as they pleased.

"Itachi, some old guy keeps showing up and causing trouble these past few days. Let me deal with him." Naruto felt no pressure at all.

Though Sasuke had been freed from the genjutsu, Orochimaru's immense killing intent left him completely unable to move.

Itachi held Naruto back. "Naruto, you're very strong, but I should handle this myself."

"Orochimaru, since you've come here, you're not leaving." Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. "Tsukuyomi."

Aah!

Orochimaru paid the price for his arrogance. His mind was trapped in the dark red Tsukuyomi World, where he endured endless agony with every passing second.

Orochimaru struggled. "The Sharingan... what incredible ocular power! Uchiha Itachi, I'll remember you."

Bang!

Above the lake, Orochimaru's human form instantly split into countless small snakes.

Orochimaru abandoned one of his bodies, leaving only a trace of his presence attached to a small snake. It darted into the lake and escaped along the bottom.

Uchiha Itachi instantly flung a shower of shuriken, swiftly wiping out the fleeing snakes.

"Orochimaru still got away." Uchiha Itachi returned to Sasuke's side and said regretfully, "Naruto, this is serious. I need to report it to the Fourth Hokage. You and Sasuke should go home at once."